The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-07
GENERAL BADEAU,s CLAIM.

His Demand for Payment for Literary Serv-
ices Rendered to General Grant.
New York Special
There have been some signs of late that the
intimacy between Gen. Adam Badeau and the
Grant FAMILY has been, in diplomatic language,
seriously strained" It is we'll known that Col
Fred Grant is occupied at present for a certain
time every day taking down his mothers recol-
lections of General Grants life, his trip abroad
and MS connection with the army and politics,
his personal opinions and experiences. As Mrs.
Grant has retentive memory, and as the Gem
era always made a practice of giving her his full
confidence, the material collected In this way
will be very valuable some day. There is no
present intention of publishing it. Indeed, the
executors Ct General Grant are bonnd by their
contract vi IA Webster, the publisher of mis- great
book, not TO publish anything for three years.
Ii was IN connection with this interesting lit
erary work that Colonel Grant made remark
the sotner day, In a published interview that
General Badeau never was so intimate with Gen.
eral Grant as he has striven to have it appear,
and that the great Union commanders military
blographer has, IN effect, assumed to be much
moro IN General Grants confidence than he ever
really was. The remark was evidently made
with purpose, and that purpose quite evil
IDENTIFY was to let the public know that General
Badeau had, In the opinion of the Grants, traded
somewhat too extensively on his intimacy with
General Grant-an intimacy which has supplied
General Radeau with much Of his literary ma
terial and position This was the purpose OF
Colonel Grants remark, but just why it was
made at the present time has been puzzle to
many people.
It is just possible that the true explanation of
the codness is furnished by story which is CO.
ing the rounds to the effect that General Badean,
shortly after General Grants death, presented
to the widow bill for So 900 for assistance rem
dered to General Grant in preparing his book.
Mrs. Grant, the story goes, was III a quandary.
AS she understood the matter. there was little if
any justice in General Badeauis claim. The
book was Grants OVID, in form and substance
and General Badeaus claim was either wholly
unfounded or ridiculously excessive, even on the
assumption that he expected to be paid for what
trifling services he may have rendered to the
soldier author. Still. Mrs. Grants first impulse
was to pay the bill, though to do SO would seri-
ous1y cripple her resources, rather than have any
dispute about the matter or give General Badeau
any cause for complaint. however unjust At
this point friends interfered and urged Mrs
Grant to refuse to pay.
In the first place the claim had no foundation
In Justice, and in the second the payment of the
money would give General Badeau an opportu-
nifty which he would probably improve, to pose
before the public as the real author Of the book,
and exhibit proof of his reception of the money
as being also proof of his claim to authorship.
1.-The public don't want Badeaus book; they
want Grants book" urged Mrs. Grants advis-
ers, who did not scruple to accuse General Badeau
of endeavoriug to increase his own literary repu-
tation at the expense Of that of General Grant
and of the sale of the book. At any rate the
payment was not made and the Grants have
never since been more kindly disposed toward
General Badean than he to them.
This in brief is the story. It puts General
Badeau In rather unpleasant light, but it
comes pretty straight from people intimately
acquainted with the Grant family.